The Dagger

by Marieke Lexmond

  ‘Shit.’

  ‘Yes. That pretty much sums it up. Lucy just became a great deal more powerful.’ Bridget paces, Maeve starts to make tea, her solution for everything. Tara sits down very carefully.

  ‘What do we do now?’ Asks Bridget. ‘I can’t get the police involved in this. It’s only asking for casualties.’

  ‘We wait. I know she will act. Lucy is not known for her patience. But we will not go there unless absolutely necessary.’

  ‘Where or what is Tsé Bit’a í?’

  ‘It’s in Navajo territory in New Mexico, the American name is ‘Winged Rock’.’

  ‘Do you think she lives there?’

  ‘No. It will not be close to her home. This is a sacred place to the Navajo. It’s ruled by Air; Lucy’s powers will be even more amplified there.’

  ‘Like doubling up?’ Adds Maeve.

  ‘Something like that. Even though I’m not going, something will happen. We need to inform the others.’

  Several hours later, the house is buzzing with life. Tara had requested everybody to come and stay at the family home. For safety, she claims, but Bridget is sure her Grandma feels insecure and dreads whatever is happening. To have her family around gives her comfort. Bridget has found a moment’s peace in her and Wes’s room. He’s painting, and all the ruckus hasn’t reached him yet. When he’s painting, he is so focused the world around him disappears. She envies that; she wishes she could turn off the world for a couple of hours. Like now. She would give almost anything to be able to forget Maeve’s pained face when she talked about Bridget abandoning her. What excuse does she have? That she was young? Angry? She has never been good at dealing with her feelings. If she could turn back time and do it differently, she would. Too late now. She has no idea how she can make amends; what would be the right thing to say? Sorry seems so inadequate.

  UTAH

  Lucy wanders through her supply room. Rows and rows of neatly organized herbs, bones, stones, books, candles, everything a witch could need. She lets her fingers trail over the shelves. It’s a stark contrast with her dungeon-like cellar in Boston, but like everything in her design home, it’s thought through, very deliberate and functional. The power of air still gives her goosebumps. Absentmindedly, she rubs her arms. What should she take to Shiprock? It’s not like her to hesitate, she usually knows exactly what she wants. Maybe she doesn’t need anything? Abruptly, she leaves the room and makes her way to the roof. In the middle of the roof is a tiny pentacle, marking the exact place where the ley lines cross. Out of habit, she stands on it. She touches the Dagger hanging at her side. A tingling runs up her arm and makes her smile. Time for a little test run. She closes her eyes and imagines the air flowing through her and out of her hands, her hands move around each other as if she’s stirring a pot. A little tornado forms. Her eyes snap open, her hands stop moving and the tornado balances patiently above her hands. With her mind, she directs it to a couple of trees down the road, her hands give the tornado a push-up. It grows and whips towards the trees. The trees start to sway in the increasing wind. Once the tornado touches them for real, they bend back and forth violently, and the wind force rips them out of the ground. A victorious laugh escapes Lucy. She’s never felt so alive. With a flick of her wrist, the tornado dies, and the trees fall back to the ground. A small wasteland with toppled trees is left. Well, this answers her question. She doesn’t need to take anything except for the Dagger. Satisfied, she makes her way back inside.

  BOSTON

  Luna is back in Boston and sits on Bridget’s bed while she FaceTimes with her mother. Tara is in her room, and Seamus is peeking over her shoulder, trying to follow the conversation. Luna looks at her notes. ‘Neumann and Giordano. Those are their last names. But now we can only begin searching.’

  ‘Things have become more complicated. Lucy has contacted me.’

  Luna has a hard time not to raise a quizzical brow. It’s an interesting choice of words. She already heard what happened from Maeve, and there is definitely more to this story.

  ‘I talked to Maeve.’ There’s no reaction on Tara’s face. No surprise there. ‘Do you want me to come home?’

  ‘No, no. Everybody is here, this is too important. I think it’s time to reach out to the family who had the Dagger. It’s a place to start.’

  Luna frowns. ‘What am I going to say… my Mom’s evil twin stole the Dagger?’

  ‘I thought you, at least, could be a little more subtle than that.’ Tara rolls her eyes at her.

  ‘Didn’t you say they were at Lucy’s house? We have to deal with them one way or the other. Better be on our own terms. As Bridget is here, this would be the perfect time.’

  Luna can’t help but smile. Her mother didn’t lose her touch, it seems.

  ‘Maybe you can take that man, what’s his name? With you.’

  ‘Tom. His name is Tom.’

  The irritation in Luna’s voice isn’t lost on Tara. ‘Tom wants to help you?’

  ‘No doubt, but I think if I involve him further, he needs to know who we are.’

  Tara leans forward, as if she wants to take a closer look at Luna’s face. Luna does her utmost to give her a blank look. No need to tell her mother she’s having an affair.

  ‘Is that really necessary?’

  ‘Lucy did bespell him. And that business with Hayes. He is getting suspicious of something.’ Tara thinks for a couple of seconds and then merely nods in agreement.

  ‘Did you find anything in Lucy’s spell book?’ She wants to know. Curious, Seamus leans forward in his frame.

  ‘I didn’t have much time, but it’s fascinating, and there is much we can learn from it.’

  Luna is not yet ready to share her thoughts on the book. She tried a small spell and felt the power and lure of dark magic. It frightens and captivates her at the same time. No need to tell her mother that.

  ‘Is it safe?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Great. Good luck with the search. Keep me posted.’ Tara is ending the conversation. The sound of children’s voices is coming closer.

  ‘Stay safe. And if you need me, I can be there soon. I can always take some road through Fairy.’

  ‘Don’t do it. It’s not worth it.’ Stresses Tara. She looks distracted, the children have probably invaded her room.

  ‘Only if there’s no other way.’ Luna presses the end button. She’ll need a couple of minutes to digest this conversation. It’s always more about what isn’t said then what is. She falls back on the bed and closes her eyes.

  NEW ORLEANS

  It’s late, and with a big sigh, Bridget closes her bedroom door behind her. Nothing happened, and while everybody showed up and is settled in the house, Tara is back to her secretive ways. They made no plan, there wasn’t even a discussion. Only quiet conversations in corners, as if allegiances need to be formed. Bridget feels very alone. Her family radar is very rusty, and she’s obviously an outsider. It will take time to rekindle her bonds. Luckily, she has Wes and her dogs, nobody is aware they are her little spies. Freya aired her grievances to Ceri. Nothing new there. Actually, not much exciting to report. The general consensus is that Tara is overreacting, that they will indulge her for a day or so and then everybody will go back to normal. That had astonished her. They must also feel a tension building like something is looming on the horizon. Something bad. That this is only a moment of quiet before the storm.

  ‘Are you coming to bed, or are you staying there the whole evening?’

  A warm smile forms on her face. She rushes towards the bed, ditching her clothes on the way. Wes opens the sheets, and she slides in against him. She wiggles against his already happy body.

  ‘That’s better.’

  UTAH

  Cal is surprised to see Mara lounging next to a pile of suitcases when he finally pulls up to the house in Utah. He’s tired, and in
need of a shower. His sister is not his favorite person. No chance of a quiet entrance. He stops the car right in front of her. Better get it over with and gets out.

  ‘Finally!’ says Mara while she gets up. ‘Unload the car and load this up, we’re leaving as soon as you’re done.’

  ‘I just arrived. I drove hundreds of miles; I need a shower.’

  ‘Stop whining. If you have a problem, complain to Lucy.’ She doesn’t wait for his answer and trots inside. She knows Cal would never do that. With a big sigh, he gets to work.

  BOSTON

  It’s the crack of dawn and Luna stands in front of the Jansson’s family home. Even though it’s in the middle of the city and the yard space is small, they managed to make it magical. The scent of honeysuckle is overwhelming. Many different plants mingle; the colors of the flowers welcome you in. She had left Tom at home, as she didn’t have the heart yet to come clean to him. For a moment, she closes her eyes and sends a little probe out to the house. No doubt, they have the house protected with wards and this way, they will know when a witch stands at the gate.

  Pretty soon, the front door opens and the young witch, Gwen, Bridget had called her, stalks towards her. None too pleased to see her.

  ‘What are you doing here. How did you find this house?’

  ‘We need to talk.’

  Gwen doesn’t hide her distrust, ‘You were at that witch’s house with the cop.’

  Luna swallows one of her snappy remarks and instead decides to use a friendly approach, ‘Please, I have important information to share.’

  Gwen uses her senses and sizes Luna up. Again, Luna rains in her impatience. See, who says she can’t be diplomatic. ‘Can we talk somewhere privately.’

  ‘We’re witches,’ replies Gwen, ‘we can make it private whenever we want.’

  Luna gives her a ‘don’t get smart with me young lady’ look. Gwen smiles. ‘Follow me.’

  Five minutes later, they sit at a small table in the far corner of a funky coffee shop with a steaming mug of herb tea and a fresh backed pastry.

  ‘Talk’ is the only thing that Gwen says while she leans back in her chair.

  ‘We, my family, know you lost the Dagger of Consciousness.’ Gwen shoots forward, Luna quickly put her hand up, to calm her and gestures to let her finish. ‘Our family also possesses one of the elemental objects. We felt a disturbance the night your sister got killed.’

  This seems to relax Gwen a little. ‘That’s why that witch is on the case? Is she your daughter?’

  Luna smiles. Always good if people jump to conclusions. Saves you from skirting the truth.

  NEW ORLEANS

  Ron cornered Tara in the sunroom. ‘What is going on, Ma? You can’t lock us up in the house and have us all pretend we’re one happy family. You either start explaining, or I take my family home. This has gone on long enough.’

  Tara’s face stays a total blank. This was to be expected. It’s a miracle they stayed quiet this long. She has heard them talking to each other quietly. Maybe she had overreacted. Ceri rushes in ‘You have to see this!’ Or perhaps she didn’t overreact at all. Ron and Tara follow her into the TV room. Most of the family is already there watching the news.

  A reporter stands outside Santa Fe, behind her in the background some vast tornados touch down on the plains. The reporter is shouting over the wind, ‘This is an unprecedented sight, no indication in the weather pattern predicted these tornados. They’re erratic and seem to form and dissolve in a blink of an eye. They come close to the town and then evaporate as if they’re teasing us.’

  Bridget turns to Tara, ‘This must be Lucy.’

  Tara turns white as a sheet. ‘Oh my God. I should have gone.’

  ‘We need to do something! What if she hits the town?’ says a distressed Maeve.

  ‘We will be too late, by the time we drive or fly there, this will be over.’ Bridget tries to calm her down.

  ‘But these people. How far do you think she will go?’ Now they all look at Tara.

  ‘She wants us to come.’ All her earlier confidence has gone. She had never thought Lucy would threaten ordinary people. This is not fair.

  ‘Can’t we do something?’ adds Freya.

  Ceri mentions quietly ‘We could go through Fairy and be there within a couple of minutes.’

  ‘Go through Fairy!! Are you crazy?!’ shouts Ron, dismissing this idea.

  Ceri looks at her Mother. ‘It’s the only way.’

  ‘We don’t want to pay that price!’ Ron turns red now.

  ‘What price?’ asks Bridget, she’s clearly unaware of what it entails. ‘We need to try; innocent people might get hurt.’

  ‘This is what she wanted. I’ve been stupid, and there are no other choices than bad ones.’ Tara adds resigned.

  ‘OH MY GOD!’ shouts the reporter in the background. ‘Look at the size of that tornado! It’s coming for us.’ Just before the picture breaks up a monstrous size tornado is making its way towards the camera.

  Tara snaps out of it and takes control. No time to behave like a witless old woman, her family needs her, and they need to do something about Lucy, right now.

  ‘Ron, Freya, Ceri, Maeve, and Bridget get ready, we’ll leave in two minutes. Take your wands and whatever other magical items you think can be useful. Hurry!’

  ‘What about us?’ Diane gets up.

  ‘A fight is not for you. You and Alice need to protect the house. Are the boys at the Hat?’ Tara looks around for Ron, but his wife Selma answers. ‘Dylan, Brian and Fin are there.’

  ‘Warn them to be careful.’ Selma simply nods.

  ‘Diane, you call Luna to fill her in. She needs to find these families as soon as possible. Tell her NOT to come home.’

  ‘Okay, Mom, are you up for this?’

  ‘It’s my fault, and I will take care of it.’ Tara turns around and leaves a stunned family behind in the sunroom.

  Ron, Freya, Ceri, Maeve, and Bridget are ready in the hall. ‘Follow me.’ Says Tara and she leads them outside. They rush past the herb garden and into the wooded area behind the house. A huge oak tree stands in the clearing next to the tomb. Tara goes straight for it, halting for a moment before she puts her hand on the tree. She turns to the witches that follow her. ‘Remember, be quiet and quick, we might be lucky and pass through undetected. If not, don’t eat anything they offer, don’t bargain. Let me do the talking.’ For a moment, she centers herself. Her hands follow the lines of the tree as if she is caressing a body. Under her breath, she mumbles ancient fairy, and slowly a door becomes visible and opens up. ‘I’ll go first then Maeve, Ceri, Bridget, Freya, and Ron should bring up the rear.’ Without a word, they line up and follow Tara through the door.

  They step onto a balustrade. It’s rusty and damp inside. The balustrade seems to stretch endlessly in both directions. The walls are made of white bricks. Moss and plants have made their way into the seams in between the stones. It smells of lilac and rotted water. If they look down, it seems like the building is flooded. The water is like a mirror, and the whole building feels empty. Sun floods through the filthy roof. It’s made of glass which apparently hasn’t been cleaned in years. The entire place feels like an abandoned mental ward. Bridget looks up, and she sees a whale swimming through the air. She blinks. They’re not underwater. ‘Is that a whale?’ Her voice echoes through the hallway. Freya immediately clamps a hand over mouth and whispers; ‘Quiet. We can’t make a sound.’ Bridget nods and Freya lets her hand fall away. Tara signals they have to go to their left. Bridget falls in line as they try to move quietly but quickly down the hall. Every now and then Tara puts her hand on a door and feels. It’s fascinating, Bridget can’t get enough. There’s clearly a huge hole in her witch education. How does Tara know which door? A Fairy world you can travel through? What a place this would be to explore. It’s beautiful in an eerie kind of way
, and evidently normal laws of physics don’t apply here. Why don’t they use a spell to keep them from being heard? Does magic work the same here? She tries to squash her million questions and just take everything in.

  Although they’re quiet, their footsteps are bouncing around them, and making small ripples in the water below. The others seem tense and constantly look around. Flowers erupt from the wall and burp out butterflies. Bridget can barely suppress a laugh. So beautiful and cheerful. Freya pushes her forward and snaps her out of her trance. ‘Don’t stare at anything. It will hypnotize you,’ she whispers angrily in her ear. Something disturbs the water. They look over the railing, and it seems like giant eels are making their way down the hall as well.

  ‘Shit.’ Ron looks behind them, but the balustrade still looks empty. ‘Hurry.’ They walk faster and make more noise, but they have to take that chance. Tara feels another door when out of nowhere an old slender fairy, almost five feet tall, appears and balances himself on the railing. His clothing almost looks dull, browns and greens. Tight fitted and made of a supple fabric. The smell of carnations suddenly surrounds them. He holds a long staff with a sickle at the end. On closer inspection, his dark cap is formed out of endless tiny bones.

  ‘Well, well, the Madigans. Long time no see.’

  ‘Ferrymaster.’ Tara bows her head. ‘Always a pleasure.’

  Gracefully, he drapes himself on the railing like it’s a comfy couch.

  ‘You weren’t trying to sneak past me, were you?’

  ‘I would not dream of it?’

  ‘Where is the journey going?’

  ‘Santa Fe, New Mexico.’

  Ferrymaster looks from Tara to Maeve, Ceri, Bridget, Freya, and Ron.

  ‘So, who will pay the price?’

  Tara’s face doesn’t show anything, ‘I was hoping for your good graces.’

  ‘Tut, tut, you know the rules.’ He smiles wickedly at her. His legs untangle, and he walks past everybody this time and takes them in. He stops in front of Bridget.

  ‘Hi. sweet lady. I don’t think we’ve met before.’ He raises her hand kisses the top of it.